Ball gate and elevating mechanism



Nov. E6, 1948.

L. A. DURANT ErAL l BALL GATE AND ELEVATING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet `1 Filed oct. 23, 1945 1N VENT 0K5.

60m/afl Har/m? am Nov. 16, 194s. L. A. DURANT HAL 2,453,976

BALL GATE AND ELEVATING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 25, 1945 :s sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORS 777 arri/Zr0 7 Nav. l, E948. 1 .A. DURANT Erm. 2,453,976

BALL GATE AND ELEvATING MEcHAmsM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 wwf/w /QN MNkKN v J ww gf //////4M Patented Nov. 16, 1948 BALL GATE AND ELEVATING MECHANISM Lyndon A. Durant and Gordon Horlick, Chicago, Ill., assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to Royal Patent Corporation Application October 23, 1945, Serial No. 624,002

(Cl. 273-122) p 2 Claims.

Our invention relates to ball gate and elevating mechanism of the character wherein the balls are projected upon an inclined board for gravitation thereover into contact with targets such for example bumper switches or the like. The invention has for its principal object the provision of an improved structure of this character which will be eicient in operation and economical in manufacture.

Another Iobject of the invention is the provision in a game apparatus of the character hereinafter more fully described where the ball outlet gate is utilized for the two-fold purpose that of retaining the spent balls at the outlet or return opening until released by the gate and also that of functioning to rebound the balls back upon the board for further play until the balls are spent. In this character of the gate the balls have greater animation and prolonged play.

Yet a further and equally important object of the invention is the novel and effective means for elevating the returned balls to position for projection upon the play board for gravitation thereupon. In this character of the invention it is the aim to bring the ball from a return runway to a position before the projector by mechanism which acts upon the ball to roll the same from the return runway to said projecting position, as distinguished from the mechanism which slaps or bats the ball to that position, the latter arrangement invariably resulting in the ball bouncing back or rebounding into the return runway, consequently requiring several operations to bring the ball to projecting position.

Another and equally important object of the invention is the provision of a simple arrangement for latching the ball retaining gate in ball releasing position and for effecting movement of the gate into ball retaining position.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means, operable by the ball elevator mechanism, for releasin-g the ball gate for movement into ball retaining position.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

'I'he invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the under side of an inclined play board illustrating certain of the mechanism embodied in our invention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective top plan view of the front end of the play board, a glass top being removed;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ball elevating mechanism embodied in the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail View taken substantially on line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 6-5 of Fig. 1.

The several drawings illustrate the preferred form of construction by which the severalobjects of our invention are accomplished.

In this connection IIJ indicates a cabinet which may be of any well known construction. This cabinet includes a bottom wall II, side and end walls I2 and I3 respectively, and a glass top I4 through which may be viewed the play board I5 arranged within the cabinet at an inclination with respect to the horizontal and beneath the glass top I4.

The play board I5 at one side includes a ball ramp I 6 through which balls II are vprojected by a projecting device I8, 'hereinafter more fully described. The upper end portion ofthis ramp (not shown in the drawings) opens upon the upper end portion yof the board I5 to discharge the balls thereon for gravitation down the board.

At the lower end portion I9 0f the board I5 is an elongated outlet opening 2U, the balls. I'I being guided thereto by the converging edges 2| of a ller block 22. These ed-ges 22 are provided with rebound strips 22 preferably formed of rubber or the like for rebounding the balls back into play upon the board I5.

Balls are retained from passage through the outlet opening 20 by a gate 23. This gate comprises a substantially U-shaped bar 24 the end portions 25 of which are pivotally connected as at 26 to the parallel arms 28 of ya mounting bracket 21 secured as at 29 to the under side of the block 22. The end portions 25 of the bar 24 have spaced depending arms 29 and 30. The arm 2'9 has secured thereto one end portion of a spring 3I, the opposite end portion of the spring 3l being connected to an end portion of a plate 32 secured to the underside of the play board I5 as at 33. The inner end 34 of the plate 32 is adapted to engage the arm 29 to limit pivotal movement of the gate to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6. l

On the face of the bar 24 is a rebound strip 24 similar to, and for the same purpose as the strips 22.

Means are provided for releasably latching the gate in ball releasing position (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6). This means in its preferred form of construction comprises a bracket 35 having an upturned end portion 36 secured as at 31 to the block 22. The opposite end portion of the bracket includes an inverted substantially U- shaped portion 38 secured as at 39 to the under side of the board I5. To the bracket 35 adjacent the upturned end 36 is a lug 40 and pivotally secured to this lug 40 as at 4I is a limb 42 of a substantially U-shaped latch bar 43; the opposite limb 44, of this bar being pivotally secured as at sfide of the board I5. `upwardly extending end portion 51 to which is portion 49 provided by the arm 30, when the gate is pivoted to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, by means presently explained. The latch portion 48 of the arm 30 will engage in the keeper notch 48 and the gate will be thereby held in the ball releasing position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. In this position of the gate the balls I1 are free to pass through the ball outlet 'depending end portion 5I secured as at 52 to a supporting bar 53 slidably supported by spaced brackets 54 and 55 secured as at 5 6 to the under This release bar 50 has an connected a stop nger 58 hereinafter more fully described.

On the support bar 53 is an angled plate 59 to which is connected a ringer 60. This finger 68 Ais adapted to be engaged by the end portion of the slide bar of a standard coin slide (not shown). To the bracket 54 is secured one end of Ya spring 62, the other end of this spring being connected to the supporting bar 53 as at 63. The

`arrangement is such that when the release bar 50 is moved rearwardly relative to the board I5, against the action of the spring 62 this bar 50 will engage the arms 29 and 30 and pivot the gate against the action of the spring 3| into ball release position, in which position the latch end v49 will engage the keeper notch 48. The gatewill be held in this position until the latch end`49-is disengaged from the keeper notch 48 in a manner explained. y

As the balls I1 pass through the outlet vopening 20 they drop upon an inclined track 64 comprising spaced flat rails 65 having their end portions $6 secured as at G'I to the under side of the board I 5. In rolling down the track the balls will engage between the rails 65 and be guided thereby to a position for elevation by a lball elevator 66. Adjacent the outlet opening 20 there is provided a shield 68 to prevent dislodgement of the balls I1 as they drop from the board I5 through the outlet opening 20 onto the track 64.

When the ball gate 23 is in ball release position the stop ringer 58 will be moved transversely of the track 64 and block the balls in their Inovement down the track 64.

This ball elevator 66 comprises a mounting block 68 secured to a side wall I2 of the cabinet.

The block 68 carries a plate 69 having an angled end portion 10 to which is pivotally connected end portion .of a spring 85,l .the oppositeend portion of this spring being connected at 86 to the lifting dog 12, the spring serving to return the dog 12 and the lifting lever to their original positions as shown in Fig. 3.

The projector 16 may be of any approved co struction which includes the spring controll d e plunger 11 having ythe exterior nger button 8 as at`1I a lifting dog 12.` This lifting dog 12 has a beak portion 13 adapted to move between the rail into engagement with a ball and as the `dog is pivoted the ball engaged by the dog will roll, as distinguished from being struck by the dog, along the edge I4 of the dog onto a platform 15 of a projector I6 before a plunger 11 thereof for Aprojection along the ramp I6 toward the upper-end of the board I5.

The pivotal movement of the lifting dog 10 is effected by an operating lever 18, one end portion of which provides a roller 19 engaging the dog 12 as shown in Fig. 3. This lever 18 is pivoted to theblock 68 as at 88 and has its outer end portion '8I- projecting through a slotted plate 82 secured 'rto4 the outer face of the front wall I3. This end As shown in Fig. 3 when the lifting lever 83 is pivoted to pivot the lifting dog 12 against the action of the spring 85, the end portion 88 thereof will engage the end portion 88 of the limb 44 of the latch bar 43 in a direction to disengage the keeper notch 48 from the latch portion 49 of the gate 23 to permit the gate 23,to pivot to ball retaining position as shown in full lines, in Figs. 5 and 6. v

Bythe employment of the preferred construction herein described we provide a game apparatus capable of accomplishing the several objects of the invention in an efficient manner at the minimum of cost in manufacture. V

While we have illustrated and `described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into eifect,'this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention.` We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as `come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, whatwe claim as new and desire to protect byv Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with apivotally movable ball gate of an amusement apparatus and a latch member therefor, of a supporting structure,` a ball elevating member pivotally carried by the structure, an operating handle pivotally carried by the supporting structure and having an end portion engaging the ball elevating member and thelatch member for simultaneously Voperating the ball elevating member and the latch member to release the latch member `from engagement with the ball gate when the ball elevating members lis elevated by said operating handle.

2. The combination with a pivotally movable ball gate of :an amusement apparatus kand a latch member therefor, of a supporting structure, a ball elevating member pivotally carried by the structure, an operating handle pivotallycarried by the supporting structure and having an end portion engaging the ball elevating member and the latch member for simultaneously operating the vball elevating member and the latch member to release the latch member from engagement with the ball gate when the ball elevating member iselevated by said operating handle, there being roller engagement between said end portion of the operating handle and said ball elevating member.

LYNDON A. DURANT. GORDON HORLICK. n

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record .in the iileof this patenti,

UNITED STATES PATENTS A Date 

